Electric igniter for gas-engines



(No Model.)

F. BAINQ ELECTRIC IGNITER FOR GAS ENGINES. No; 354,881. Patented Dec. 28, 1886.

EffESfs: I JEZUEZZIDTZI fi /8MI- 7' N PEYERS, Fhnln-Liflmgmphcr. Washington. 0.47.

QSheetsfi-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A. W. JEROME.

DE'VIGE FOR TEARING WRAPPING PAPER PROM CONTINUOUS ROLLED SHEETS.

No. 354,981. Paten'ted'Deo. 28, 1886.

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N. PETERS, Phulo-Ulhngnphar, Wnhington. RC. 7

NITED STATES FOREE BAIN, or oHroAoo, ILLINOIS.

-ELECTRIC IGNITER FOR GAS-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 354,881, dated December 28, 1886.

Application filed February 1?. i886. Serial No. 192.2%. (No modcL'l To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FOREE BAIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ohicago, Gook county, Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Igniters for Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to igniters for gas engines; and it consists in combining with a gasengine an igniter consisting of electrodes, conductors, circuit-breaker, and a generator constructed to produce an igniting-spark .by a single quick movement, thereby avoiding the objections incident to the use of magneto and dynamo generators of the ordinary construction. 4

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation 0 a gas-engine in part section, illustrating'my improved igniter in one form in which it may be embodied. Fig. 2 is a plan view in part section illustrating a modification.

Heretofore in exploding the charges in gas engines by means of electricity rotary magnetos or dynamos have been employed. The use of such generators has proved to be attended with many disadvantages. Thus a high rate of speed has been required to produce the current, so that it is difficult to start the engine by hand, while the use of generators capable of producing the required sparks at a lower rate of speed necessitates such an increase of size in the generator as to make them objectionable from their cost, the amount I of room which they occupy, and the necessity of employing speed-multiplying devices for use in operating by hand until the normal speed of the engine is obtained. Again, the commutators of small generators wear out with great rapidity and have to be frequently replaced, as do also the brushes, short circuits result from the clogging of the brushes and commutators with dirt, the bearings wear away with great rapidity, and when the generator runs upon a closed circuit it absorbs an objectionable percentage of the power of the engine.

In order to overcome these objections I produce an induced current" by. a single rapid movement, separating or bringing together the armature and the poles of a magnet, and cause this current to be broken almost simultaneously with its production, either by separating the electrodes within the cylinder or by arranging them adjacent to each other within the cylinder and causing the current to pass between them, in which case an inductioneoil is used. In either case I am enabled to produce a spark of sufficient intensity to absolutely secure the ignition of the charge by a single impulse'and one movement of the operating parts, which movement may be as well effected by hand as by the engine, so that the latter may be quickly and easily started.

Different appliances may be used in order to secure a spark by a single movement, cause the movement to be made with the desired rapidity at'the starting ofthe engine, and insure the breaking of the circuit within the cylinder at the proper moment.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1, J illustrates the cylinder of a gas engine, K the pis- 1 ton, L the piston-rod, M the slide carrying the cross-head, to which is jointed the connectingrod a, extending to the crank of the shaft N, and b b are the electrodes, the latter being pivoted and keptby a spring in normal contact with the former, and having an arm arranged'to be struck by the piston, so that the electrodes will be separated as the piston attains its rearward position.

\Vith the electrodes, which are suitably insulated from the cylinder, are connected the conductors d d, leading to coils B upon the poles or pole-connections of a magnet, A, andan armature, O, is carried by alever, D, pivoted to a bracket or standard, E, so that by the vibration of the lever the armature may be carried to and from the poles.

\Vhile a slow movement of the armature to or from the coils would not result in producing a current evolving a spark of any great intensity sufficient to ignite the charge,

an exceedingly rapid movement will throw such a current onto'the conductors that if the electrodes 1) b are immediately thereafter separated, the most intense spark will be produced of a character that will insure absolutely the explosion of the charge.

The rapid movement of the armature may be effected by the action .of a power stored up by the engine, or by devices operated by a comparatively slow movement of the engine, so

that when the engine is moved by hand the armature will be properly operated in proper time as regards the separation of the electrodes, and the spark produced will be as intense and will as effectually explode the charge as those produced by the rapid operation of the engine under full speed.

One means of storing upapower for moving the armature consists in compressing a spring, P, by the outward movement of the cross-head or any other moving part of the engine,which spring is released so as to strike the lever D just before'the electrodes?) 1) are separated. As shown, the spring Pis a steel blade bent to a U shape, secured at'one end to the frame of the engine, and carrying near the other end a weight, f, arranged to strike the end of the lever D. The end of the spring P projects downward in position to be struck by the slide M as the latter approaches the limit of its forward movement whereby the spring is compressed, and it is held in this compressed condition by means of a detent-lever, Q, pivoted to a pin, 00, at the rear end, andlifted by a spring, 8, with its end in front of the spring P, as soon as the latter is carried beyond the end of the lever. A finger, h, carried by the slide M, is so arranged that just before the piston K strikes the electrode b the finger It will compress the catch-lever Q and withdraw it from the spring P, thus releasing the latter and causing it to strike the lever D forcibly and cause the rapid removal of the armature from the poles.

It will be seen that when the engine is turned slowly by hand the armature is operated in proper time and with great rapidity, so that the spark may be as well generated under such circumstances as when the parts are moved by the rapidly-operating engine. If desired, the lever Q may be thrown out of action after the engine has attained its speed, inasmuch as the slide Mwill then move at such a speed as to cause the spring to strike the lever D with sufficient rapidity.

It will be evident that the form of the magnet and arrangement of the coils are immaterial, as different well-known magneto appliances may be used with like effect.

Instead of using the current produced by separating the armature from the magnet, that resulting from carrying the armature to the magnet may be employed. 7

In some instances an induction-coil, Y, may be included in the primary circuit, as shown in Fig. 2, in which case the circuit-breaker b is operated outside of the cylinder, and the electrodes are arranged .in the secondary circuit in proximity in stationary positions within the-cylinder, the spark being produced when the current jumps between the electrodes.

Instead of employing a spring for storing up the power to move the armature or separate the armature and poles, the movement may be effected by means of any other suitable mechanical appliances. In any case the reverse movement of the armature must not be effected until the igniting-spark has been produced,as otherwise the strength of the current will be weakened by the reverse current produced.

not liable to become inoperative; that there are no rapidly-moving shafts and bearings liable to rapid deterioration; that the current is generated without a constant drag upon the engine, and that the use of commutators and brushes is dispensed with.

W'ithout limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown, I claim- 1. The combination, with a gasengine, of an electrical igniter consisting of electrodes within the cylinder, an electric circuit, appliances for making and breaking the circuit by the action of the engine, an electric generator operating to generate a current by a single im pulse, and means independent of the circuitbreaking appliances for operating the generator, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a gasengine, of electrodes within the cylinder, an electric generator operated from the engine to generate a current by a single impulse, and independent circuit making and breaking devices also op-' erated from the engine, substantially as de scribed.

3. The'combiriation, with the cylinder, conductors, and circuit-breaker of a gasengin'e,

of a magneto-generator producing a current by a. single impulse, a spring for operating the generator, arranged to be compressed by the movement of the piston in one direction and released to produce the spark by a sudden movement in the other direction, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the cylinder, electrodes, conductors, and circuit-breaker of a gas-engine, of an electric generator constructed to operate bya single movement, a spring arranged to effect this movement and to be compressed by the piston, and a detent operated by the engine to release the spring, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a gas-engine and an electro-magnet and armature therefor, of a spring arranged to contact suddenly with the armature, electrodes within the cylinder of the engine, and a circuit-breaker operated by the piston of the engine, substantially as described.

6. The combinatiomwith the electro-magnet, of an armature supported upon a lever,a spring arranged tocontact suddenly with said lever, a detent retaining said spring, and releasing mechanism for the detent, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the engine-cylinder, of an electro-magnet, an armature supported upon a lever, a spring arranged to contact with said lever and suddenly carry the armature from the coils, and normally-contacting electrodes within the cylinder and In testimony whereof I have signed my name s arranged to be separated by the piston, subto this specification in the presence of two substantially as described. scribing witnesses.

8. The combination, with the engine, of a magneto-generator mounted thereon, an arma- FOREE BAIN.

ture, a spring arranged to be compressed by the slide of the engine, a pivoted arm resting Witnesses: on the slide and acting as a-detent to the spring, DANIEL GOODW IN, J r., and a releasing-finger carried with the slide, H. O. NoURsE. IO substantially as described. 

